Political odds and ends in the news

-Among the many matters the Obama administration is working on there is the massive economic stimulus proposal. On Friday the U.S. Senate Democrats unveiled their version of a stimulus that, like its counterpart in the House of Representatives, would provide emergency spending and tax cuts totaling $825 billion. This plan is not yet formalized and attempting to be by-partisan it has detractors in several of its propositions. Some say it is too much others not enough, What is sure is that it is going to increase the federal deficit.
-A welcome decision for many sick people is the clearing of the way for the first trial by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to see if human embryonic stem cells can treat people safely.
-In New York after weeks of soap opera like about who was going to substitute Hillary Clinton in her senator post once she was confirmed as Secretary of State, Caroline Kennedy took herself out of the race (see my article from yesterday) and Gov. David Paterson appointed Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand.
-Outside the United States, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, who had promised to end U.S. imperialism and called Bush “the devil” praised Obama’s decision to close the Guantanamo prison.
-In France, the French Justice Minister Rachida Dati is planning to leave her post in the Sarkozy’s administration and run for one in the European parliament (more on this in another article).